Web register control means utilizing a television system



WEB REGISTER CONTROL MEANS UTILIZvING A TELEVISION SYSTEM INVENTOR l Il'fiv nav/555 Ffm/CH Nm/5M. Mya@ im@ ATTORNEYS D. E. E. FRENCH WEB REGISTER CONTROL MEANS UTILIZING A TELEVISION SYSTEM sepps, 1967 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 5, 1965 INVENTOR, f/V/S E. E. FPE/VCH DMN WN ATTORNEYS Sept. 5, 1967 D. E. E. FRENCH 3,339,817

WEB REGISTER CONTROL MEANS UTILIZING A TELEVISION SYSTEM Filed March 5, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR, fA//s E Pff/VCH ATTORNEYS D. E. E. FRENCH Sept. 5, 1967 WEB REGISTER CONTROL MEANS UTILIZING A TELEVISION SYSTEM Filed MaICh 5, 1965 dvd... 4 6 N WEB REGISTER CONTROL MEANS UTILIZING A TELEVISION SYSTEM Filed March 5, 1965 "Lila 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 15 1 L7 L- rl8 .-l INVENTOR, f/vf. Fei/vm i i BY um MWL/@MMM ATTORNEYS Sept' 5, 1967 D. E, E. FRENCH 3,339,817

WEB REGISTER CONTROL MEANS UTILIZING A TELEVISION SYSTEM Filed March 5, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 v A?) /C/G. 8

` IZEEL TRANSVERSE ECT N PRESS CORR O F j BEAT-3 Bob SOL. VALVE 've F/cv. 9 AMP. AMP.

PHOTO rw-(p TQANSBTOKAF] IY SOL.

u VALVE Q AMP.

-TOLEZANCE BAND ;l- I

AMP.

SOL INVENTOR VALVE f/v/5 .5 E. FMEA/CH ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,339,817 WEB REGISTER CONTROL MEANS UTILIZING A TELEVISION SYSTEM Denis E. E. French, West Kirby, Wirrall, England, as-

signor to Moore Business Forms, Inc., Niagara Falls, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 437,519 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Mar. 6, 1964, 9,598/ 64 Claims. (Cl. 226-100) This invention has reference to web register control means. Such register control means is required in machines for producing, for example, continuous stationery having marginal feed perforations as well as cross perforations for separating the continuous Webs into form lengths. When such continuous stationery webs are produced a plurality of webs are printed independently on separate printing units and these independent webs are collated. Prior to collation, the webs are interleaved with Webs of transfer material, for example, Webs sometimes referred to as one-tirne carbon webs. Subsequently, after the collation the marginal feed perforations are applied to 'the edges of the webs and cross perforations are provided across the webs. It is important that the forms being collated should be in accurate register one with another when they are collated so that a particular area of one record web exactly overlies the corresponding area of another record web.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved web register control means whereby the register between continuous webs being collated may be accurately controlled.

According to the present invention a web register control means comprises means to irradiate a moving webat predetermined intervals in synchronism with the speed of movement of the web, means for scanning the web while the irradiation is projected on to it and means for reproducing an impression of the scanned web.

A printing press for producing continuous stationery web assemblies and embodying web register control means in accordance with the invention will now Vbe described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a simplified diagrammatic side view of a printing press;

FIGURE 2 is a simplified diagrammatic. plan view of part of a printing press;

FIGURE 3 is av perspective view of a control console;

FIGURE 4 is a view of part of a continuous stationery web whose register is to be controlled;

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view of the web feed control means;

FIGURE 6 is a view of part of the mechanism to con trol the feed of the webs;

FIGURE 7 is a view of the control mechanism as seen from theright-hand end of FIGURE 6, with a diagram- 3,339,817 Patented Sept. 5, 1967 of paper and to feed a web of paper from the reel around a plurality of driving and guide rollers as well as turner bars. The web is then fed to a printing unit 4 which includes the usual impression rollers, inking rollers and the like and which prints a lay mark 15 on each form length in addition to the usual data. The webs are fed through the machine at a speed of between one and twentyforms lengths per second.

As shown in FIGURE 1 two webs 2 are printed by a respective printing unit and are then interleaved With a continuous transfer material web 5 sometimes called a one-time carbon web, fed from a reel 6 and these interleaved record and transfer material webs are fed over guide rollers to a collator 7. The collated webs are subsequently fed to punching mechanisms which punch the marginal feed perforations in the webs and provide the cross perforations in the webs.

In order to ensure accurate registration of the webs being fed into the collator 7, a scanning mechanism 8 is mounted adjacent the path of each web as it is fed to the collator before being interleaved. This scanning means 8 comprises a television camera which is located close to the web to scan the web as it is fed past. A light source 9 which projects light onto the moving webs is mounted adjacent to the television camera and serves lto project light onto the part of the web being scanned by the television camera as it passes.

The light source 9 is connected up in circuit with a contactor device 10` which is operated by one of the printing units 4. The printing roller is connected to a cam unit 11 which serves to close the circuits of a switch once during the pasage of each form length. For example, if the printing roller prints three form lengths during each revolution, the cam will close the associated switch three times during each revolution of the printing roller at exactly the same relative position with respect to each form length to irradiate the form length with light and produce a stroboscopic eiect so that a single image of the form length appears to a viewer.

Each television camera '8, is connected up in a closed circuit with a television screen 12 on a console 13 (FIG- URE 3) so that an impression of a form length or part of a form length of the record web as it passes beneath the television camera 8 is reproduced on the television screen 12. By the phenomenon of persistence of vision and because the light 9 is projected onto the form length at the same relative time during the passage of each form length,

the appearance of a single form length Will appear on the matic showing of the ultimate connections tothe reel shaft; v

FIGURE 8 is a plan view in somewhat diagrammatic form of a turner bar installation control according to the principles of the invention and usable along with or in addition to the installations previously illustrated; and

FIGURE 9 is a diagram illustrating an automatic control for the webs. 4

The printing press comprises a supporting frame F (see FIGURE 2) upon which is carried a plurality of printing units 1 (only two of which are shown in FIG- URE 1) and each of which prints and feeds a single printed continuous stationery record web 2, consisting of a plurality of form lengths to a collator. The printing unit `screen 12. A grid 14 is marked on the television screen and web. This lay mark 15 is arranged to coincide withl the main grid lines 16 on the television screen at right angles to one another. Further grid lines 17 are produced on the screen parallel to the main grid lines and spaced from the main grid lines at distances corresponding to distances of ten one-thousandths of an inch on the unmagnied web.

A second lay mark 18 is printed on the web of stationery adjacent to one edge. The lay mark 18 is printed by means of two closely spaced parallel lines on and near the end of the printing roller. If the web is in the correct transverse position one lay mark 18 is printed. If, however, the web is too far to one side (to the left) two lay mar-ks 18 are printed Whereas if the web is too far to the other side (to the right) no lay marks are printed.

Television screens are located in the console 13, one screen 12 for each printing unit 4 and each television screen has associated with it three pairs of push buttons a, 20b, 20c. These push buttons are for operating means to control the register of the web.

Push buttons associated with each television screen are associated with complementary control mechanism on the printing machine. Thus, the first pair of buttons 20a controls the adjustment of the web to compensate for transverse misalignment of the web which is recognized by the printing of neither or two marks 18 of the closely spaced parallel line marks 18 (FIGURE 4). If it becomes apparent that the web is too far to one side (to the left), the machine operator presses the appropriate button 20a to move the web to the right to correct this sideways register. The buttons 20a (FIGURE 5) are connected in a circuit with a respective solenoid 21a, 2lb, each of which controls a respective air valve 22a, 22b to control the supply of air to respective air operated cylinders 23a, 23b so that the cylinders 23a, 23b are each associated with the respective buttons 20a. The pistons of the respective cylinders 23a, 23b are connected to operating rods 24 each of which carries a plate 24a with a pivot point 26 on which a ratchet 25 is pivoted. The ratchets cooperate with respective sets of teeth A27 fixed on a drive shaft 28. Operation of one piston in a cylinder 23a causes pivotal movement of the respective plate 24 to move the respective ratchet 25 over a fixed cam surface 25a into contact with complementary teeth 27 on the drive shaft 28 to rotate this drive shaft in one direction by one increment. Alternatively, if the other cylinder 23b is operated the other ratchet 25 will be operated to drive the teeth 27 around by one increment in the opposite direction.

Thus, for the control of the transverse registration, the teeth 27 on the screw shaft 28 are engaged by the ratchet 25 so that the shaft 28 is rotated. A flanged travelling nut 29 is threaded onto the shaft 28 and a projecting rider member 30 secured to the axle 31 of the reel 3 of the unwind unit, engages with the nut 29 so as to be axially adjusted by the rotation of the screw shaft 28 in order to adjust the reel axle 31 (and hence the reel of the unwind unit) transversely of the machine to maintain transverse register.

In like manner, the second pair of push buttons 20b on the console 13 are connected to a slewing roller device 32. This device includes a pair of ratchets and pneumatic cylinders 23a and 23b, similar to the ones previously described and acting under the control of the push buttons 20b. A similar shaft 28 (which need not be threaded in this instance) is rotated incrementally each time the appropriate button is pressed and this adjustment effects the slewing control through a bevel gear connection 33a, one gear of which is carried by the shaft 28 and the other upon a threaded shaft 33b which carries a travelling nut 33e rigid with the roller guide structure 34. Thus, when the roller 33 is angled or slewed, the proper side Iadjustment of the web path is effected.

The third pair of push buttons 20c on the console serve to control a register unit 35 to alter the lengthwise register of the web. The push buttons 20c are connected in a similar manner to the push buttons 20a, 20h to a similar pneumatic circuit including a pair of pneumatic control cylinders 23a, 23b and ratchet mechanisms 25 and these serve to rotate a control shaft 28 in a similar manner to that already described in connection with the transverse control mechanism. However, in this case rotation of the control shaft 28 serves to rotate a quadrant structure 36. This structure includes a toothed quadrant 37 which is pivoted on rotation of the shaft 28. A pair of arms 38 are operatively fixed to the quadrant 37 and the arms carry a roller 39 at their outer ends. It will be apparent that as the quadrant 37 is pivoted by rotation of the shaft 28 the arms 38 will pivot to move the roller 39, on which are mounted a pair of rollers. By moving these rollers 39 the effective length of the path of the web is altered thereby controlling lengthwise register of the web from the printing machine to the collating machine.

It will be apparent that there are a television camera, television screen, a set of control buttons and cooperating web control mechanisms to control each web passing through the machine and four of such units are shown in FIGURE 3.

When a printing machine as hereinbefore described is used to produce continuous stationery assemblies the webs 2 are fed to the printing machine in the usual way and the television camera control equipment is switched on. It will be apparent from the television screen 12 whether the webs are in register or not. If a leading edge of a square lay mark 15 printed on the form is in register with the grid lines 16, on the television screen no adjustment is required. If, however, the leading edge of the square lay mark 15 is not in register with the corresponding grid line 16 it is required to make a longitudinal adjustment to the web and the appropriate push button 23e is pressed on the console 13 to rotate the register roller 39 to vary the length of the web and so adjust the webs being fed to the collator. On the other hand, if the other perpendicular line of the lay mark 15 on the form does not coincide with the cross grid line 17 on the television screen the appropriate push button 23a is pressed on the console to effect transverse adjustment of the stationery web to correct the out of register feeding of the web. Similarly, if neither of two lay marks of the parallel lay marks 18 or 18" appear on the web the appropriate push button is pressed to effect adjustment of the web.

In those cases where a plurality of webs are printed and subsequently collated in a printing machine and in which the reel shaft 31 is located at one side of the machine, it may be preferred to feed the web into the machine over turner bars. This embodiment is illustrated in a somewhat casual manner in FIGURE 8 of the drawings where the web 2 moving from the reel or unwind station 3 is wrapped around the turner bar 50 as it proceeds toward the press 4; and transverse correction as indicated by the arrow, is effected by the bodily shifting of the frame 51 carrying the turner bar 50 along the guides 52 carried by the frame F. The turner bar sub-frame 51 is shifted by the threaded engagement of the screw shaft 28', which shaft is rotated by means including the parts 23a and 23b and 25, and other similar to the control elements already illustrated and described.

In an alternative arrangement, diagrammatically illustrated in FIGURE 9 of the drawings, the register of the webs may be controlled automatically by having a light sensitive means such as a photo electric cell or transistor device located close to t-he television screen bearing an impression of part of the record web. The record web passing is printed with dark areas and the photo electric device will be so located as to sense any misalignment of the dark areas on the screen. Energization of these photo electric devices control switch means to operate the appropriate pneumatic cylinder to correct the mis-registration of the web.

It is understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the embodiments herein illustrated and described without departing from the scope of the invention as determined by the sub-joined claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Web register control means comprising means to rradiate a moving web at predetermined intervals in synchronism with the speed of movement of the web, means for scanning the web while the irradiation is projected onto it, means for reproducing the scanned impression of the web; the means for scanning the web comprising a television camera and the means for reproducing the scanned impression comprising a television receiver; means to alter the register of t-he webs to correct any incorrect register detected by the reproducing means; said register correcting means comprising a pair of operating piston and cylinder mechanisms, a control shaft to effect correction of the web register, means operatively connecting said piston and cylinder mechanisms with said control shaft, and means operated by said control shaft to effect -lengthwise register of the web.

2. Web register control means comprising means to irradiate a moving Web.at;predetermined intervals in synchronism with the speed of movement of the web, means for scanning the web while the irradiation is projected onto it, means for reproducing the scanned impression of the web; the means for scanning the Web comprising a television camera and the means for reproducing the scanned impression comprising a television receive-r; means to alter the register of the webs to correct any incorrect register `detected by the reproducing means; said register correcting means comprising a pair of operating piston and cylinder mechanisms, a control shaft to eifect correction of the web register, means operatively connecting said piston and cylinder mechanisms with said control shaft, and means operated by said control shaft including a slewing roller device to correct side adjustment of the web.

3. Web register control means comprising means to irradiate a moving web at predetermined intervals in synchronis-m with the speed of movement of the web, means for scanning the web While the irradiation is projected onto it, means for reproducing the scanned impression of the web; the means for scanning the Web comprising a television camera and the means for reproducing the scanned impression comprising a television receiver; means to alter the register of the Webs to correct any incorrect register detected by the reproducing means; and light sensitive means to sense the scanned impression of the web and operative connections between said light sensitive means and said register correcting means and serving automatically to control said last named means to correct incorrect register of the webs.

' 4. Web register control means comprising means to irradiate a moving web at predetermined intervals in synchronism with the speed of movement of the web, means for scanning the web While the irradiation is projected onto it, means for reproducing the scanned impression of the web; the means for scanning the web comprising a television camera and the means for reproducing the scanned impression comprising a television receiver; means to alter the register of the webs to correct any incorrect register-detected Voy the reproducing means; said register correcting means comprising a pair of operating piston and cylinder mechanisms, a control shaft to effect correction of the web register, means operatively connecting said piston and cylinder mechanisms with said control shaft, and means operated by said control shaft to effect transverse register of the web, said last means including web turner bars.

S. Web register control means comprising means to irradiate a moving web at predetermined intervals in synchronism with the speed of movement of the web, means for scanning the web while the irradiation is projected onto it, means for reproducing the scanned impression of the web, the means for scanning the web comprising a television camera and the means for reproducing the scanned impression comprising a television receiver; and means comprising a slewing roller device to correct any incorrect side adjustment of the web detected by said reproducing means, and means for skewing said device to and from adjusted angular positions in a plane parallel to that of the web. n

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,506,053 5/ 1950 Zuckerman 226-18 X 2,566,399 9/ 1951 Bishop 226-20 X 2,797,610 7/ 1957 Coakley 226-45 X 2,806,694 9/ 1957 Penman 226-18 3,053,310 9/1962 Spooner 226-15 X 3,108,727 10/ 1963 Farber 226-45 X 3,111,555 11/1963 Dykeman et al 178-6 3,232,547 2/ 1966 Thiede et al. 226-20 X FOREIGN PATENTS 539,912 8/ 1955 Belgium.

M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

ALLEN N. KNOWLES, Assistant Examiner. 

5. WEB REGISTER CONTROL MEANS COMPRISING MEANS TO IRRADIATE A MOVING WEB AT PREDETERMINED INTERVALS IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE SPEED OF MOVEMENT OF THE WEB, MEANS FOR SCANNING THE WEB WHILE THE IRRADIATION IS PROJECTED ONTO IT, MEANS FOR REPRODUCING THE SCANNED IMPRESSION OF THE WEB, THE MEANS FOR SCANNING THE WEB COMPRISING A TELEVISION CAMERA AND THE MEANS FOR REPRODUCING THE SCANNED IMPRESSION COMPRISING A TELEVISION RECEIVER; AND MEANS COMPRISING A SLEWING ROLLER DEVICE TO CORRECT ANY INCORRECT SIDE ADJUSTMENT OF THE WEB DETECTED BY SAID REPRODUCING MEANS, AND MEANS FOR SKEWING SAID DEVICE TO AND FROM ADJUSTED ANGULAR POSITIONS IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO THAT OF THE WEB. 